F-150, F-250, F-350; Silverado, GMC Sierra, Hummer, Titan, Ram, Tundra – you name it, these are vehicles built for a hard life and McHenry drivers buy them planning to abuse them in the name of productivity all the time. From construction jobsites to farmers’ fields, to loading docks, these trucks were built with a purpose.

They’re utilitarian. They have a higher wheelbase than most other vehicles. They have rugged suspensions and steering. They have strong engine plants to drag loads, including loads when you’re towing, or simply for going over rough terrain with the beds filled to the gills. But there is a difference between these workhorses and their predecessors from years gone by.

Once you slide inside a modern work truck, and close the door, for all intents and purposes, you could be sitting inside a luxury car in your McHenry driveway. They have comfortable seats with plenty of room. They have air conditioning. They have sound systems and navigation systems and all the latest bells and whistles. 

Even those rugged suspensions tend to give a ride that is monumentally more comfortable than a work truck your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother drove. But there is one thing about these vehicles that is not different.

If you don’t take care of that beast, it might just bite you. It might leave you stranded in the middle of a job. It may breakdown while you’re towing a load that has to get there NOW!!!

In terms of caring for your work truck, newer vehicles probably need more TLC than their predecessors. There are more electronic components that might not take the jolts of rough ground so well. 

In years gone by, folks would drive the wheels off a work truck. They would put mile after mile on their workhorse and all of them rough going. With these newer beasts, maintenance is critical. If you don’t keep up on that maintenance, you can count on your work truck, at some point, to let you down though, in reality, it’s the owner who doesn’t maintain that workhorse who is to blame.

Regular oil changes are a must for any vehicle and, with a work truck, they’re twice as critical. But, remember, when your vehicle is bouncing over rough terrain, every part of the truck is receiving a jolt that could knock something loose or out of adjustment. 

Damage, as well as normal wear and tear to the suspension or steering is contagious. Once a problem sets in on one part of the suspension or steering, it puts additional wear on other parts and the problem spreads. 

That workhorse will do remarkable things. But, before you pull out of your McHenry driveway or yard, ask yourself if you’re up to date on the beast’s maintenance. It’s a question you may be glad you asked.